аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

10 Interesting Facts About B.B. King

Riley B King commonly known as B. B. King was born in September 1965 in Itta Bena, Mississippi. He is famed for being a great guitarist and the pioneer of blues in that his style became a source of inspiration for other musicians. The musician was raised in a Christian setting which means that he used to sing in a church and that influenced his passion for music.

His prowess as a guitarist is a fact that is still being celebrated to date as he ensured that his audience got a chance to experience music that reverberates. Therefore, this article will look at ten interesting facts about the musician and how he influenced the music industry. Furthermore, the article will be great for aspiring artists who want to emulate some of his practices as they will get to learn and understand what he did to become good at his career.

1 His mother barred him from singing blues

While King was young, his mother barred him from singing the blues as she believed that they were the Devil’s music. This is interesting because his cousin Bukka White was a blues musician and yet his mother did not want him to follow the path that his cousin did. Bukka was King’s mentor in that he emulated most of his style. The artist dressed like Bukka as his cousin once told him to dress like a successful person. Additionally, King borrowed Bukka’s technique and tweaked it a little bit.

2 He bought his first guitar when he was 12 years old

When King was young, he used to play in church during church services. The minister even used to lend him his guitar during his services and even taught him the first three chords. At the age of 12, King purchased his first guitar, and in 1943 he decided to leave his community and join the Famous St. John’s Gospel Singers of Inverness, Mississippi. He was expelled for the following few years, but it wasn’t until 1948 that he made a breakthrough.

3 His first radio appearance was with The Blues Radio icon

He appeared on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio show on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas. His appearance at the radio show worked in his favour as the show had a lot of influence on the fans as they would listen to the songs played in the show and also give their attention to the guests who appear. The show’s fans found him to be so entertaining that he later taped a ten-minute stint for WDIA in Memphis. From then, he continued to rise in fame and even performed with notable musicians like Earl Forrest, Bobbly Bland and Johnny Ace in a group known as Beale Streeter.

4 The B.B in his name came from a jingle

The artist got his name when he appeared on his first radio show on WDIA in Memphis. It was when he was there that he got his name Beale Street Blues Boy. He then shortened it to Blues Boys and then to B.B. after being christened ‘The Pepticon Boy’ after he came up with the Pepticon jingle on the spot.

5 Two of his albums were recorded two blocks away from each other

It’s ironic that BB King’s two most well-known albums, Live at the Regal from 1965 and Live in Cook County Jail from 1971, were both recorded in Chicago not far from one another. The Library of Congress has a copy of Regal, which was recorded at the Regal Theater, on permanent display. Memphis Slim and John Lee Hooker contributed covers to the CD, which curiously did not include any songs written by BB. For BB, performing live at the jail has become a ritual.

6 He performed in prison

B.B. King was famed for performing live in prison in the course of his career. He was keen on ensuring that his message of love, joy, universal hope and peace reached many people. Some of his performances include the 1992 performance that he played at the Florida Correctional Facility. His iconic performance was his Live From Cook County Jail in 1975. The performance topped the Billboard R&B Chart for three weeks and also ranked as one of the most influential albums of all time by Rolling Stone.

7 He was in films

King was well-known for his songs, but he’s also a seasoned movie star. Heat, Casino, and Mrs Doubtfire are just a few of the movies with his music as soundtracks. The Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Married with Children, and Sanford and Son, among many other shows, are just a few of the films in which The King of the Blues has acted as himself. He appeared six times on Jay Leno. Additionally, there are several commercials that he was in.

8 There is a museum built in his honour

In 2008, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Centre was opened in Mississippi which was the hometown of the legendary musician. The museum features an old cotton gin that the star worked at when he was a child. The museum is said to be the only one of its kind that was created to honour a person.

Its stunning exhibits on his life recognize King as a prominent and well-known musician from across the world, celebrate the history of Delta blues music and the surrounding culture, and support and inspire upcoming musicians and artists.

9 Awards

B.B. King has a prosperous career as a musician. He won several awards including 15 Grammy Awards, A Grammy Hall of Fame Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He had also been given honorary degrees from several universities including Brown, Berkeley College of Music, Tougaloo and Yale University. He even has a recording studio that was named after him at Mississippi Valley University in his hometown.

10 His personal life

B.B. King was married twice in his lifetime. In 1942, he married Martha Lee Denton but they divorced in 1952. He then went on to marry Sue Caroll Hall but also divorced in 1966. When asked about his divorce from Guitar.com, he replied that he was just a regular guy and did not fool around. It is said that he had 15 children from different women.